


Welcome home

by LetMePukeInYourMouthEm



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Divorce, Family Loss, Foster Care, Loss of Parent(s), Multi, this is very chaotic but what else is new ahaha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:42:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22411201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetMePukeInYourMouthEm/pseuds/LetMePukeInYourMouthEm
Summary: Alice learns to trust her adoptive parents and settle into life with them but all good things must come to an end
Relationships: Alice & Bill (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Alice/Deb (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	Welcome home

Alice pulled her hoodie strings tight and buried her face into her knees in the back of the car. They were only a few miles away from her new foster family's house, and she was dreading it. She didn't want to go and live in an unfamiliar town with another couple of strangers, she just wanted her biological family back. Every time she closed her eyes, it all came rushing back to her- the fear, the pain, the grief. The flames engulfing everything around her. Her parents risking their lives to save hers. Watching them run back into the blaze to rescue her little sister, Katie. The heartbreaking horror when they didn't come back. The firefighters arriving too late. The smoky remains of her house that she knew still had her family inside, buried somewhere within the ashes. The memorial service held a week later. 

And just like that, she had been alone. Orphaned at six. She still could barely believe it, even three years later. It had all been so sudden. One day, she had the perfect life with a family who loved her more than anything in the world, and the next, _bam_ , it was all gone. Everything she cared about had been ripped out of her hands faster than she could blink. She had been taken from her hometown of Philadelphia and sent around the country to four different families, this one to be her fifth. Four families and still, nobody really wanted her. Nobody ever would, especially not now that she was nine. Nobody ever wanted to adopt the older kids. She would just age out of foster care, never really having formed a bond with anyone. That was how she knew it was going to go. 

Of course it would be. She had just started feeling like she belonged in her last home, and now she had to move to an entirely different state, live with yet another family of strangers, and pretend she wasn't constantly on the verge of an emotional breakdown. What if her new foster parents hated her? Why should it matter? Right when they connected with her, that was inevitably going be the day she would be taken to the next place. That's what had happened with every other family she had lived with. What was even the point of trying to care about anyone anymore? Everything in her life was only temporary. She had learned that the hard way. 

The car pulled into a driveway and parked. Her foster father opened her door and held out a hand to help her out of the car. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked up at his face. The first thing she noticed was that he was very young, maybe twenty-three. His gentle smile gave her a warm, bubbly feeling, one she hadn't felt since she had last heard Katie's laugh. She pushed it away. As soon as she trusted him, the rug was going to be pulled out from under her and she would be taken away from him and his wife, never to see either of them ever again. That was always how it went. But something about him made Alice want to be able to trust him, in a way she hadn't with any of her past foster parents. Something about this man was special. 

"Hi, Alice," he said in a soft, comforting voice. "I know this is difficult for you, and it's going to take a lot of adjusting. You haven't had an easy life, so I've heard. But I want you to know that it's going to get better. Even if we can't be the best parents in the world, we're going to put in every effort to give you all our love. You are welcome here, Alice, and I hope you can feel that way, too. Would you like to come inside and meet your foster mother?" 

She nodded as she carefully took his hand and stepped out of the car, not really knowing whether to return the smile or look away. "Um, okay." She didn't want to add a "Dad" to the end of that yet. Not until she knew him better.

"I'll take care of your bags for you," he said, opening the trunk and pulling out the two small pink suitcases she had packed everything she owned into for the fourth time. Parts of their contents were from her first foster parents in Boise, some from her second house in Sacramento, a few from her third in Memphis, and the rest from where she had lived last, Cincinnati. None of it was from her real home. The only thing she had left of those possessions was a small heart-shaped locket her biological mother had given her. She had been wearing it when the fire ignited, and she had refused to take it off since, as it was all she had left of them besides her memories. He smiled at her again and said, "my name is William Preston, if you don't remember, but I go by Bill. My wife– your foster mother– is named Nicole." Preston. She let the name bounce around her head for a second. Alice Preston. It had a nice ring to it. "You don't have to use our last name. I can understand why you might not want to." 

She had always decided not to take her foster parents' names. Her birth name was Carpenter, and she had always favored it over her alternatives- Martinez, Piccareta, Greenfeld and Stuart, namely. But this was different. Somehow, she already felt like she could go by Alice Preston, like it was meant to be her name. But she knew in her heart that she should stay Alice Carpenter. She wasn't about to erase her family name just because one of a multitude of foster parents seemed like a nice guy. She hadn't even really met him yet, she had to remind herself. So why did she feel such a strong connection with him already?

"I think I'm going to keep Carpenter," she mumbled unsurely. "At least, for now," she added, seeing the crestfallen look he was trying to hide. "I'm sorry."

"No, you don't have to apologize. I didn't take any of my foster parents' names, either."

Alice blinked as what he said registered in her mind. "What?"

"I was a foster kid, too," he said, leading her into the house. "I lived with different families from when I was eight until I was fourteen. That's when the Prestons adopted me. Our situations aren't exactly the same, sure, but I do have a general idea of what you're going through. It won't be all bad, Alice. I'm sure of it. Remember, if there's anything I can do to help you while you're living with me and Nicole, I'll make it my priority." 

"Thanks," she said, already feeling comfortable enough with him to add a "Dad" to the end of it. Bill beamed at her as his wife walked into the room.

"Hello, Alice!" She chirped, smiling. Her smile didn't give Alice the same warmth and comfort she had gotten from Bill, but that was okay. She just needed to get to know her a little better, she guessed. "It's nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you, too," Alice said quietly, noticing that she didn't quite feel ready to call her "Mom" yet. There was a deafeningly awkward silence. Nobody quite knew where to start. 

"Well, Alice, let's get your things to your room, and maybe you can settle in a little bit," Bill offered, giving Nicole a disconcerting look. Was there a problem with their marriage? Or had he just picked up on Alice's discomfort? If there was an issue, it wasn't because of her, was it?

"Um, yeah. That sounds nice, Dad." 

"Follow me," he said, still glowing from her calling him "Dad." He picked her bags up again and led her through a door into her room. He put her suitcases down and sat down on her bed, patting the spot next to him to ask her to sit with him. She climbed up onto the bed and smiled at him. It felt good to be able to smile for real. Sure, she had been happy enough in her other foster homes, but with Bill, she felt almost like she had with her real father. "So, how are you feeling about your new house so far?" 

"Pretty good," she said, playing with her hair as she looked around the room. Simple, but endearing. It was just waiting for her to personalize it.

"Again, I'm ready to help whenever. I want you to know that I'll always be there for you, Alice. If you ever need someone to talk to, my door is wide open. Alright?" Alice nodded as he stood up. "Well, I'm going to let you unpack. Is there something you'd like to eat tonight? A favorite food or restaurant?"

Alice was relieved he had brought up food. She was hungry, but she never knew how to ask when first meeting foster families. "Yes, actually. Is Red Lobster okay?" 

Bill smiled again. "Red Lobster sounds wonderful. It's crabfest, you know." 

Alice giggled. "Yeah."

"See you in a bit, Alice," he said, leaving her to unpack her suitcases. 

"See ya," she called, hopping down off the bed. She unzipped the first suitcase and changed her grey hoodie and jeans to a white blouse, pink sweater and black skirt. Good, now she could see the necklace again. 

She opened up the locket and wiped a tear from her eye before it could land on the tiny portrait of her family and ruin it. She missed them so much. Bill was starting to fill the void in her life, but she knew her grief would never really go away. What she hated most was that Katie would never get to live the wonderful life that she was supposed to. Who knows what she could have done, had she never been trapped inside the burning building that took her and her parents' lives? Who knows what would have happened to Alice, had her parents not found and saved her? Who knows what her life would have been like, had she been able to keep the one she had known in Philadelphia? What would her life have been like if the firefighters had gotten there just five minutes earlier? Then it hit her. That was all her fault, wasn't it? She had been the one to call 911. If she had been faster, her family would still be alive. 

Alice closed the locket and curled into a ball on her bed, letting her tears soak the pillow she rested her head on. She didn't realize how loud her sobs were until Bill rushed in and sat down next to her. He didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. He didn't need to. All he needed to do was comfort her, and that's exactly what he did. She could already tell that he was going to be a great father. Alice needed to enjoy it while it lasted.

Alice pulled her hoodie strings tight and buried her face into her knees in the back of the car. They were only a few miles away from her new foster family's house, and she was dreading it. She didn't want to go and live in an unfamiliar town with another couple of strangers, she just wanted her biological family back. Every time she closed her eyes, it all came rushing back to her- the fear, the pain, the grief. The flames engulfing everything around her. Her parents risking their lives to save hers. Watching them run back into the blaze to rescue her little sister, Annie. The heartbreaking horror when they didn't come back. The firefighters arriving too late. The smoky remains of her house that she knew still had her family inside, buried somewhere within the ashes. The memorial service held a week later. 

And just like that, she had been alone. Orphaned at six. She still could barely believe it, even three years later. It had all been so sudden. One day, she had the perfect life with a family who loved her more than anything in the world, and the next, bam, it was all gone. Everything she cared about had been ripped out of her hands faster than she could blink. She had been taken from her hometown of Philadelphia and sent around the country to four different families, this one to be her fifth. Four families and still, nobody really wanted her. Nobody ever would, especially not now that she was nine. Nobody ever wanted to adopt the older kids. She would just age out of foster care, never really having formed a bond with anyone. That was how she knew it was going to go. 

Of course it would be. She had just started feeling like she belonged in her last home, and now she had to move to an entirely different state, live with yet another family of strangers, and pretend she wasn't constantly on the verge of an emotional breakdown. What if her new foster parents hated her? Why should it matter? Right when they connected with her, that was inevitably going be the day she would be taken to the next place. That's what had happened with every other family she had lived with. What was even the point of trying to care about anyone anymore? Everything in her life was only temporary. She had learned that the hard way. 

The car pulled into a driveway and parked. Her foster father opened her door and held out a hand to help her out of the car. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked up at his face. The first thing she noticed was that he was very young, maybe twenty-three. His gentle smile gave her a warm, bubbly feeling, one she hadn't felt since she had last heard Annie's laugh. She pushed it away. As soon as she trusted him, the rug was going to be pulled out from under her and she would be taken away from him and his wife, never to see either of them ever again. That was always how it went. But something about him made Alice want to be able to trust him, in a way she hadn't with any of her past foster parents. Something about this man was special. 

"Hi, Alice," he said in a soft, comforting voice. "I know this is difficult for you, and it's going to take a lot of adjusting. You haven't had an easy life, so I've heard. But I want you to know that it's going to get better. Even if we can't be the best parents in the world, we're going to put in every effort to give you all our love. You are welcome here, Alice, and I hope you can feel that way, too. Would you like to come inside and meet your foster mother?" 

She nodded as she carefully took his hand and stepped out of the car, not really knowing whether to return the smile or look away. "Um, okay." She didn't want to add a "Dad" to the end of that yet. Not until she knew him better.

"I'll take care of your bags for you," he said, opening the trunk and pulling out the two small pink suitcases she had packed everything she owned into for the fourth time. Parts of their contents were from her first foster parents in Boise, some from her second house in Sacramento, a few from her third in Memphis, and the rest from where she had lived last, Cincinnati. None of it was from her real home. The only thing she had left of those possessions was a small heart-shaped locket her biological mother had given her. She had been wearing it when the fire ignited, and she had refused to take it off since, as it was all she had left of them besides her memories. He smiled at her again and said, "my name is William Preston, if you don't remember, but I go by Bill. My wife– your foster mother– is named Nicole." Preston. She let the name bounce around her head for a second. Alice Preston. It had a nice ring to it. "You don't have to use our last name. I can understand why you might not want to." 

She had always decided not to take her foster parents' names. Her birth name was Carpenter, and she had always favored it over her alternatives- Martinez, Piccareta, Greenfeld and Stuart, namely. But this was different. Somehow, she already felt like she could go by Alice Preston, like it was meant to be her name. But she knew in her heart that she should stay Alice Carpenter. She wasn't about to erase her family name just because one of a multitude of foster parents seemed like a nice guy. She hadn't even really met him yet, she had to remind herself. So why did she feel such a strong connection with him already?

"I think I'm going to keep Carpenter," she mumbled unsurely. "At least, for now," she added, seeing the crestfallen look he was trying to hide. "I'm sorry."

"No, you don't have to apologize. I didn't take any of my foster parents' names, either."

Alice blinked as what he said registered in her mind. "What?"

"I was a foster kid, too," he said, leading her into the house. "I lived with different families from when I was eight until I was fourteen. That's when the Prestons adopted me. Our situations aren't exactly the same, sure, but I do have a general idea of what you're going through. It won't be all bad, Alice. I'm sure of it. Remember, if there's anything I can do to help you while you're living with me and Nicole, I'll make it my priority." 

"Thanks," she said, already feeling comfortable enough with him to add a "Dad" to the end of it. Bill beamed at her as his wife walked into the room.

"Hello, Alice!" She chirped, smiling. Her smile didn't give Alice the same warmth and comfort she had gotten from Bill, but that was okay. She just needed to get to know her a little better, she guessed. "It's nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you, too," Alice said quietly, noticing that she didn't quite feel ready to call her "Mom" yet. There was a deafeningly awkward silence. Nobody quite knew where to start. 

"Well, Alice, let's get your things to your room, and maybe you can settle in a little bit," Bill offered, giving Nicole a disconcerting look. Was there a problem with their marriage? Or had he just picked up on Alice's discomfort? If there was an issue, it wasn't because of her, was it?

"Um, yeah. That sounds nice, Dad." 

"Follow me," he said, still glowing from her calling him "Dad." He picked her bags up again and led her through a door into her room. He put her suitcases down and sat down on her bed, patting the spot next to him to ask her to sit with him. She climbed up onto the bed and smiled at him. It felt good to be able to smile for real. Sure, she had been happy enough in her other foster homes, but with Bill, she felt almost like she had with her real father. "So, how are you feeling about your new house so far?" 

"Pretty good," she said, playing with her hair as she looked around the room. Simple, but endearing. It was just waiting for her to personalize it.

"Again, I'm ready to help whenever. I want you to know that I'll always be there for you, Alice. If you ever need someone to talk to, my door is wide open. Alright?" Alice nodded as he stood up. "Well, I'm going to let you unpack. Is there something you'd like to eat tonight? A favorite food or restaurant?"

Alice was relieved he had brought up food. She was hungry, but she never knew how to ask when first meeting foster families. "Yes, actually. Is Red Lobster okay?" 

Bill smiled again. "Red Lobster sounds wonderful. It's crabfest, you know." 

Alice giggled. "Yeah."

"See you in a bit, Alice," he said, leaving her to unpack her suitcases. 

"See ya," she called, hopping down off the bed. She unzipped the first suitcase and changed her grey hoodie and jeans to a white blouse, pink sweater and black skirt. Good, now she could see the necklace again. 

She opened up the locket and wiped a tear from her eye before it could land on the tiny portrait of her family and ruin it. She missed them so much. Bill was starting to fill the void in her life, but she knew her grief would never really go away. What she hated most was that Annie would never get to live the wonderful life that she was supposed to. Who knows what she could have done, had she never been trapped inside the burning building that took her and her parents' lives? Who knows what would have happened to Alice, had her parents not found and saved her? Who knows what her life would have been like, had she been able to keep the one she had known in Philadelphia? What would her life have been like if the firefighters had gotten there just five minutes earlier? Then it hit her. That was all her fault, wasn't it? She had been the one to call 911. If she had been faster, her family would still be alive. 

Alice closed the locket and curled into a ball on her bed, letting her tears soak the pillow she rested her head on. She didn't realize how loud her sobs were until Bill rushed in and sat down next to her. He didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. He didn't need to. All he needed to do was comfort her, and that's exactly what he did. She could already tell that he was going to be a great father. Alice needed to enjoy it while it lasted.

**Author's Note:**

> Ooh, got some mood whiplash there -
> 
> Yes, I know that foster care and adoption aren't the same thing, I'll get there in the second chapter


End file.
